Porsche’s newest lightweight track monster is the 493-horsepower mid-engine mega Cayman shown here. Laden with carbon fiber and lightweight touches — like decal badges instead of plastic or metal — the Cayman GT4 RS weighs just a smidge over 3,000 pounds, some fifty pounds lighter than a standard GT4. This is the first mid-engine car to ever wear the RS badge, and that in itself is quite significant. The car’s ability to chase down its big brother GT3 RS is yet to be adjudicated, but with the same engine, less weight, and better balance, it should certainly be capable. None of this comes cheaply, however, as the GT4 RS starts at $143,050 before options. If you tick every box on the order sheet, you can get the price well over 200,000 American greenbacks.
While it’s still too early for any proper tests of the car’s capabilities, it isn’t too early to learn about the car’s quirks and features. Our friend Doug Demuro is back to give the car a thorough walk-around and test of all of its little bits. You wouldn’t think there would be all that much to talk about with the GT4 RS, as it’s basically just a hotted up GT4, right? Well, not quite. Not only is practically every panel of this car a brand new design, but it has new suspension, new aero, a new engine, and lots of never-before-available equipment. This isn’t just another fast Porsche, it’s a really special machine that enthusiasts have been begging for for years. Personally, I’d like to see this car with a manual transmission, but c’est la vie.
While I’d love the opportunity to fire this bad boy up to hear the GT3-style exhaust rumble, and the air intakes right behind the driver’s seat woosh away, we’ll get that opportunity soon enough. For now, we’ll have to rely on our buddy Doug to give us the low-down on the first impressions of the car.